


I’m not going anywhere

by EarlGreyForMe



Series: Strikesgiving 2020 [2]
Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27407701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarlGreyForMe/pseuds/EarlGreyForMe
Summary: Robin tries to return Strike’s jumper.
Relationships: Robin Ellacott & Cormoran Strike
Series: Strikesgiving 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002348
Comments: 16
Kudos: 36





	I’m not going anywhere

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration drawn from the *fantastic* list of Strikesgiving 2020 prompts. ☺️

I’m not going anywhere.

That’s what he said — and it took her breath away. 

She’d been lost in a sea of confusion for the past four days. She took his maroon jumper in a moment of madness two weeks ago. She just wanted to be close to him and she knows it was ridiculous and reckless but she did it anyway. And worse, he caught her red-handed four days ago. She tried to bluff, she tried to bob-and-weave. She even tried to flirt. But it was useless. She gave up, apologized, returned it to him — but then, a few hours later, he gave it back to her. 

Why? She’s not entirely sure. 

It’s almost like he took it back just long enough to replenish the fast-fading essence of ... well, him ... but that’s crazy. That’s just ... that’s not possible. Is it? I mean, it can’t be. Can it? No way. 

She been utterly flummoxed ever since. She woke up this morning and decided to take the jumper back into the office and simply, with no awkwardness whatsoever, leave it there. It was his after all. It was silly for her to keep it. She had pullovers of her own. 

And so she did just that. While he was out for his post-lunch smoke break, she placed the freshly washed maroon jumper on his desk. When he returned, she knew that he saw it but he did not acknowledge it. And why would he? It was just a sweater, loaned (sort of) to a friend on a cold day. That’s it. Nothing more. No need to say a thing. 

She stood and began to gather her things. It was 4pm, almost time to relieve Barclay who was currently tailing Mrs. Jones. She saw Strike stand, probably getting up to make a fresh cup of tea, and she looked deep into her bag for her water bottle. It probably needed a slight refill before heading out — and then, all of the sudden, Strike was standing right next to her, a little too close to her, holding something just above her bag. 

He’d taken off the navy jumper he’d been wearing all morning, the one Lucy gave him this past Christmas, and he was handing it to her while looking down at her desk. 

“It’s cold out. Don’t want you to catch a chill.”

Robin summoned every bit of strength she had and ordered her legs not to buckle and her lungs to keep breathing in and out. She didn’t move. Not a single muscle. She didn’t know if he was teasing her or thought she wasn’t properly attired or what. She was too embarrassed to look at him — and his voice gave little away. It was warm and, well, it didn’t sound like he was taking the piss? She was already wearing a cashmere sweater, thin but incredibly warm. She didn’t really need another jumper but ... this one would, well, this one would smell like him. 

She was utterly powerless to resist. Might as well have just handed Superman some kryptonite. 

Strike gently placed the sweater in her bag and walked out towards the kettle. Saying over his shoulder as he went, “Nothing but paperwork today for me. I don’t need it. I’m not going anywhere.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive any/all errors I didn’t catch (in spelling, in verb tense, in ... everything)! I’m having so much fun — and that’s what matters, right? 😁


End file.
